Cultivating communities of practice

1. Cultivating communities of practice • The art of social learning in organizations Etienne Wenger-Trayner Singapore March 2012

2. Leadership groups

3. A social discipline of learning key processes Reflect andself-design Domain Bring practice in Push practiceforward Learningpartnership Community Practice Create self-representation

4. A social discipline of learning key self-design processes Interface with organization Reflect on process Domain Drive the learning agenda Learningpartnership Bring voices in Community Practice Get the message out Manage community memory

5. A social discipline of learning leadership groups Critical friends Institutionalbrokers Reflect on process Interface with organization Domain Communitykeepers Learningpartnership Agendaactivists Bring voices in Community Practice Drive the learning agenda Social reporters Externalmessengers Manage community memory Get the message out

6. The art of community cultivation

7. Community roles • Coordinator • Working group leader • Cybrarian • Technology steward • Host An ecology of leadershipcommunity nurturing roles Member roles • Convening elder • Core group member • Domain expert • Networker/weaver • Broker • Outpost/scout • Questioner • Newcomer • Observer/guest • Representative Support roles • Facilitator • Logistics • Journalist • Technology support • Interpreters Invitation Election Volunteer Consensus Appointment Tacit Emergent Assigned Nomination Rotation

8. Learning activities • Exchanges • Productive inquiries • Building shared understanding • Producing assets • Creating standards • Formal access to knowledge • Visits a great variety Outsidesources Pointers to resources News Informal Information 1 Hot topicdiscussions Stories Broadcast inquiry Polls Exploringideas Debates Tips 3 Case clinics Document sharing Readinggroup 2 Jointevents Documentingpractice Project/after-actionreviews From With Eachother Guests Jointresponse Peerassist Collections Visits 7 4 Field trips Problem solving Learningprojects Role play Boundarycollaboration Formalpracticetransfer Practice fairs Q&A 6 Mutual benchmark Casestudies 5 Models of practice Helpdesk Trainingand workshops Warranting Formal External benchmark Invited speaker Systematic scan

9. Cultivating activitiesfostering high value for time • Ensure quality • Model inquiry culture • Coach participation • Garden website • Enabling participation • Convene meetings • Initiate activities • Facilitate interactions • Enabling reification • Blogging, tweeting etc. • Creating summaries • Capturing insights • Learning agenda • Challenges of practice • Emerging issues • Hot topics • Distribute leadership • Cultivate core group • Form leadership groups • Coach leaders Community cultivation • Self-care • Pursue own learning • Meet other leaders • Visit other communities • Backchannel work • Keep in touch • Invite members to act • Send notes and newsletters • Assessment • Health checks • Monitor indicators • Value-creation stories • Community building • Manage boundaries • Welcome newcomers • Build identity and trust • Institutional brokering • Talking with sponsors • Making business case • Budgeting

10. one-to-many one-to-one Facilitating group activitiesformats for engaging community members • Presentations and Q&A • Traditional • TED talks • Ignite presentation • Multimedia tools • Brown bag lunches • Mutual learning • Apprenticeship • Peer mentoring • Buddying • Enactments • Forum theatre • Role play • Character archetypes • Networking • Ice breakers/intro • Speed dating • Geek dating • Knowledge market • Breaks • Mutual discovery • Fair/booths • Quick booth scan • Gallery walk • Social network mapping • Matrix of practice whole-group small-groups • Large conversations • World café • Discussion guides • Fishbowl • Panel/Round table • Debates • Talk show • Hot buttons • Conversation guides • Working together • Open Space • Leadership groups • Discussion groups • Working groups • Visioning • Appreciative Inquiry • Envisaging the future • Time line • Design templates many-to-many few-to-few

11. Facilitating learning captureformats for engaging community members • Exchanges • Summaries • FAQ’s • Insights/pearls/nuggets • Tools • Templates • Procedures/how-to • Models • Learning from practice • Stories • Case studies • Promising practices • Innovations • Failures

12. Learning from practiceexample of template Context • Actions/steps taken • Results/outcomes • Next steps Approach • Background and local circumstances • Issues/challenges • People, resources • Innovations • Key success/failure factors • Lessons learned • Possible areas and limitations of applicability Analysis Contact • Name and contact of author(s) and other relevant participants

13. Designing a launch processkey steps Discovery and preparation Launch workshop design • Context setting and education • Exciting learning activities • Community self-design • Explore existing networks • Define overall approach • Locate potential members and leaders Action plan and follow-up • Anticipate follow-up • Logistics and invitations • Action plan and next steps

14. Assessing and promotingvalue creation

15. Ground narrative: community/network activities Aspirational narrative: framing success Framing narratives aspirations and experience

16. Cycle 1 Immediate value: Cycle 2 Potential value: Cycle 3 Applied value: Cycle 4 Realized value: Cycle 5 Reframing value: Value-creation cycles examples of indicators Ground narrative: community/network activities Aspirational narrative: framing success Skills acquired Implementationof advice Level of participation Change instrategy Innovation In practice Inspiration Personalperformance Quality of interaction New metrics Reuse of products Socialconnections Organizational performance Level of engagement Use of socialconnections New expectations Tools and documents Havingfun Organizational reputation New learningapproaches New viewsof learning Level of reflection Institutionalchanges

17. Cycle 1 Immediate value: Cycle 2 Potential value: Cycle 3 Applied value: Cycle 4 Realized value: Cycle 5 Reframing value: Value-creation cycles Value-creation stories Ground narrative: community/network activities Aspirational narrative: framing success

18. Cycle 1 Immediate value: Cycle 2 Potential value: Cycle 3 Applied value: Cycle 4 Realized value: Cycle 5 Reframing value: Value-creation cycles Value-creation matrix Ground narrative: community/network activities Aspirational narrative: framing success New practice Goodmeeting Document Measure Excitingproject Use of connection Relation-ships Outcome Retweetedtweet Appliedadvice Insight Feedback Challenginginquiry Critical reflection Case study Use ofconnection

19. Personal value narrative Me, my relationships, my practice, and my influence

20. Value-creation stories concrete examples Member/role: Community/date:

21. Ground narrative: community/network activities Aspirational narrative: framing success Value-creation stories individual and collective narratives Personal stories Stories of leadership Community stories Stories of sponsorship Stories of the initiative

22. Integrating with organizational strategy and structure

23. Communities of practice as strategy learning as a donut Strategy Stewardship Sharing Learning Domains Communities Practices Performance

24. Sponsorship and supportstructuring strategic conversations New structures Existingstructures Portfoliosponsors Strategicteam Advisorycouncil Localsponsors Domainsponsors R&D Support teamleader Coordinatorcouncil Individualsponsors HR Communitycoordinators Supportteam Community members IT

25. Continuum of formality … aligning accountability and resources • Top strategic priority • Best-in-classcapability • Corporate sponsorship • Budget for leader/core Strategic • Steward a business capability • Equip members for excellence • Unit sponsorship • Budget for leader & activities Supported Informal • Collaboration platform and self-selected use of time • Connect members through interactions they find useful RESOURCES ACCOUNTABILITY

26. Vertical and horizontal accountabilitythe need for transversality Vertical accountability… Hierarchy Institutionalized accountability Evidence-based prescription Codification and regulationStandards of qualification Transversal accounts through…  People Processes and practicesObjects CoP Horizontal accountability…  Communities and networks Peer-to-peer learningPersonal meaning Engagement and creativity Individual identity/reputation

27. Making a business casequestions from a sponsor Why • What capabilities will your community develop? • What new connections will it enable? What boundaries/silos will it cross? • What will success look like and how will you know? What • Why should I care? • How will your community contribute to the strategy/mission of my organization? • How will you operate? • What resources will you need? • What do you expect from me? What role do you want me to play? How

28. Support structurehow to run an initiative Strategy • Offer training about communities of practice • Provide coaching to community leaders • Help with community launch and renewal Cultivation • Be the voice of communities across agencies • Legitimize their work in terms of strategic priorities • Help develop a sponsorship structure and negotiate accountability around communities • Steward the use of technology for communities • Promote cross-structure knowledge exchange • Coordinate overall research, assessment, measurement, and reporting Support

29. Lessons from leading organizations Strategic commitment Ongoing alignment Formalized strategic conversation spaces but Varying versions of: • Not a roll-out • Not a reorganization • Not additional bureaucracy • Multiple levels of formality • Cross-cutting knowledge leadership structure • Sponsorship and support • Community leadership as recognized function • Global knowledge career incentives

30. 1. Duration: a year and a few months Social learning certificateduration and format at-a-glance 2. Format May-June July Ten months July Aug-Sept Negotiation and acceptance Workshop Istate of the art Attendance at one BEtreat workshop, face-to-face or online Project Candidates define and conduct a one-year project directly related to their own work and situation. This project is supported and supervised by the program leaders conducted in the context of a peer group. Candidates keep a journal and check in regularly with program leaders and peers. Over time, they produce a portfolio summarizing their experience, achievements, and learning. Workshop IIcutting edge Attendance at a second BEtreat workshop, face-to-face or online (at least one is face-to-face) Assessment portfolio evaluation and oral defensewith workshop leaders and panel Social learning certificateThis certificate is given to So-and-so For having demonstrated the ability to lead a social learning program Candidate accepted Appropriate commitment and area of application for project Project defined achievable in time and likely to demonstrate capability Monthly check-in Monthly check-in Monthly check-in Monthly check-in Monthly check-in Monthly check-in Monthly check-in Monthly check-in Monthly check-in Monthly check-in Project completed First drafts of portfolio + application of evaluation framework Portfolio delivered Portfolio sent to panel + meeting set for oral defense Certificate awarded If portfolio is endorsed by workshop leaders and panel

31. Thank you! Etienne Wenger-Trayner etienne@wenger-trayner.com http://wenger-trayner.com